Particular part of a cattleya flower - name for it

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by PaphMadMan

Since lateral means "on the side", the terms are interchangeable, of course. Tri-lobed is usually used where the lateral lobes are particularly prominent. Compare Encyclia alata with Encyclia tampensis, for example.

That makes sense, but from a judging description standpoint, we treat the side lobes as separate enough to warrant their own description. Therefore tri-lobed would not accurately describe either this flower or the above mentioned Encyclias.